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Chamber of Deputies (Bijan)
The Chamber of Deputies (Esperanto: Ĉambro de Deputitoj) is one of the two houses in the bicameral National Assembly of Bijan. It is frequently referred to as The Chamber (La Ĉambro). The other house is the National Council. The composition and powers of the Chamber are established in Chapter 6, Part 3 of the Constitution of Bijan. The major power of the Chamber is to pass legislation that affects the entire country. All draft legislation must originate in the Chamber of Deputies, although its bills must also be passed by the National Council and further agreed to by the President of the Republic before becoming law, unless both the Chamber and the Council re-pass the legislation by simple majority, or unless the Chamber alone re-passes the legislation by a three-fifths majority. For elections to the Chamber, the territory of Bijan is divided into electoral districts, each of which is allocated a number of deputies in proportion to its population as measured in the decennial census. The 23 counties of Bijan form the basis for the electoral districts, with the less populous counties paired with their neighbors to ensure that each electoral district is populous enough to be allocated a minimum of three seats. The total number of deputies in the Chamber is fixed by the constitution at 80. Deputies odinarily serve a four-year term, though the President has the power to dissolve the Chamber and call early elections. The Chairperson of the Chamber of Deputies, who presides over the Chamber, is elected by his or her fellow deputies, and is typically a high-ranking or senior member of the party or coalition caucus that has the most voting members. The Chamber of Deputies meets in December House in Hadar's Central Quarter. Membership, qualifications and apportionment The number of deputies in the Chamber is fixed by the Constitution at 80. A constitutional amendment is required to alter the number of deputies in the Chamber. Twice in Bijan's history (in 1966 and 1993) a constitutional amendment attempting to increase the size of the Chamber failed to pass. The Constitution places two requirements on the composition of the Chamber: the Chamber must be elected under proportional representation, and the deputies must be elected from and represent geographical constituencies. Qualifications Article 67 of the constitution sets the following four qualifications for deputies: each deputy must (1) be a citizen of Bijan, (2) possess the right to vote, (3) be at least 21 years old, and (4) have been resident in Bijan for at least one year prior to the election. It is not required for a deputy to live in the electoral district he or she represents, but it is common. Apportionment Every ten years, a census is conducted that counts the population resident in each of Bijan's 23 counties. The 80 seats are allocated to the counties (in this case, serving as electoral districts) proportionally to their respective populations as counted in the census, but because the constitution requires proportional representation, an electoral district may have no fewer than three deputies. This is accomplished by grouping neighboring counties with small populations together to create electoral districts with sufficient populations. Over time, counties have been group together in different ways, so electoral districts are created, abolished and recreated as demographics change. Comparison to the National Council Salary and benefits As of January 2014, deputies serving in the Chamber of Deputies are paid an annual salary of ₷874,000. The Chairperson of the Chamber earns more: ₷925,750. The National Assembly sets the salaries of Deputies and Councilors; however Article 81 of the constitution prohibits any change of salary from taking effect until after a new Chamber convenes after an election. Titles Deputies use the prefix "La Honorinda" (The Honorable) before their names, and the post-nominal letters MĈD (Membro de la Ĉambro de Deputitoj). A member of the Chamber is referred to as a "Deputy" (Deputito), or less commonly by the Esperanto word Ĉambrano (literally "Chamber-member"). Category:Bijan Officers Procedure Committees Legislative functions Latest election results and current party standings List of Chambers Category:Bijan